Getting three of America’s most eloquent singer-songwriters to play at their 1970 launch was a huge coup for the newly-formed Greenpeace charity. Since then, this (mostly) previously unreleased intimate acoustic show from Vancouver has been a much sought-after artefact from fans of the star players for some time.
The two discs are sequenced like the concert itself, the first half of Disc One featuring opening act Ochs at his most focused and radical (I Ain’t Marching Anymore, I’m Going To Say It Now). Ochs’ militancy gives way to Taylor’s melancholy, still a relatively new name at the time but a confident and persuasive performer who completely mesmerises the crowd with Fire & Rain and Something In The Way She Moves.
Mitchell gets the whole of the second disc to herself, but comes across less assured than her supporting players. She fluffs the chords of For Free, goes way off key on My Old Man, and pointlessly segues from her own Big Yellow Taxi into a disjointed cover of Larry Williams’ Bony Moronie, but it remains a perfect snapshot of a still growing talent and is available from www.greenpeace.org.
